Question on Disecting Cats

[Aspen and Misty]

Yes, we disect cats in my school. What happens is these are homeless cats who were euthenized by the shelter and sent to a labritory for studies and then to our school. We then disect them. What are your feelings on this? I don't know if I want to partcipate, I already knew I wasn't going to for frogs but the cats caught me off guard and sicne it's not like they were killed just for us. Hmm, I'm torn on this. I still think the virtual thing is better then messing with real animals

So, any comments?


Ashley

[RICHARD]

While in college I dissected a cat and although the prospect was rather nasty I made it through, and I am happy I did it.

We said a little prayer over our cat and went to work.....
I learned alot about musculature and the way the muscles worked.

A small bit of advice?

Keep the head covered and try to distract your self while you do it.


On a slightly sick note -one of the gals in our group decided to name her 'Bubbles' for the air bubble in the formaldehyde...


Good luck!

[jenluckenbach]

I never had to do a cat. I know that when I was in school I would not have had the nerve to go against anything I was told to do by the authority, so if we would have been scheduled to do it, I guess I would have, but I'm not so sure about that today. I did however feel dissecting the frog was educational.

[2kitties]

I don't know your age, but I have never heard of this at the high school level, but I know it is popular at the collegiate level.

I think you should try to do it. Unfortunatly, there are euthanized animals in this world. The fact that so many are killed is a completly different issue. In your issue, there are animal bodies which can either be destroyed, or students like you can respectfully learn from them and, potentially save future animals or people from disease, etc.

I say be respectful of the animals contribution and try to learn as much as you can so the opportunity does not go to waste.

I know as much as I love my boys, this woud be extremely difficult for me, so I wish you luck.

[Cincy'sMom]

We also did cats in High School, along with a few other animals ( fish, grasshopper, rabbit, sheep's eye, cow's knee, frog, worm and a few others) I don't know where they came from, and I'm not sure I want too. I found it educational and did well in the class.

Our cat's name was Monkley.

[lizbud]

Would everyone who said they dissected a cat/dog while in
High School, please tell me 3 things you learned from doing it?

Just three lessons you learned about cats or dogs physiology.

[Kfamr]

They disect cats at my school, ones that have also been put to sleep due to sickness/old age and such.

I think it's a good idea for those who want to become Vets. If they can't handle disecting a cat, then I doubt they'd be able to handle the ups and downs of being a Vet.

They also learn alot aobut the cat's (or whichever animal's) insides, obviously.

[Soledad]

I think I've discussed this before on this site. I dissected a cat my senior year in Anatomy class. It was an extremely educational experience that I'm glad I had. Like your class, our cats were euthanized from the shelter and then brought to us.

If they had come to us in any other way, I would have objected.

[Kater]

I think the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) has a very well thought out position on this issue and one that is worth considering....

The HSUS condones transfer of euthanized animals from shelters to research or educational institutions under only very limited circumstances. First, no transactions of live animals should occur, and any animal involved must have been humanely euthanized due to either mortal illness or injury, or because no suitable home could be found for the animal within a reasonable time.

Second, animal cadavers may be transferred only when the animal's former owner has been informed of this policy and has given consent. Full public awareness of any animal transfer policy is vital to maintaining public trust in animal shelters. Regardless of owner consent, however, shelters not wishing to supply animal carcasses to institutions should not be compelled to do so.

Third, such transfers should not involve elementary, middle or high schools. The HSUS opposes the practice of animal dissection in pre-college classrooms for numerous reasons. At the college level, we acknowledge the need for animal cadavers in veterinary training, for instance, but emphasize the importance that any cadavers come only from humanely euthanized animals and that no animal be raised or killed specifically for use in dissection.

Fourth, transfer of animals from animal shelters must never involve any exchange of money. The existence of so-called "surplus" cats is a result of the tragedy of pet overpopulation. Millions of cats are killed yearly in US shelters because there are not enough homes for them all. When there is money to be made in dealing in their carcasses, there may be less incentive for addressing overpopulation. There is also the perception that the shelter would rather gain from this tragedy than spend their monetary resources necessary to solve it.

Finally, when the above criteria are met, it should be explained to students that the animals are from an ethically sound source.

http://www.hsus.org/ace/11373?pg=2

Personally, I feel that because you really have no way to insure that these cats were obtained from an ethically sound source you have to assume that they were not obtained ethically. According to your post it looks like you only felt dissecting a cat might be okay if it wasn’t killed "just for" your dissection. However, if a little money transfer were involved from the humane society to the laboratory then it is easy to see how to some uncaring individual a cat would be "worth more" dead than alive.

My vote would be to object to this dissection.

If you come to this same conclusion then I suggest you look to this helpful guide put out by the National Anti-Vivisection Society for advice on how to proceed: http://www.navs.org/education/pdf/HSbooklet.pdf

They even have a toll free numbers you can call!

If you need specific suggestions for alternative course work, see the Alternatives Loan Program listing or call NAVS at 1-800-888-NAVS (6287).

If after reading this booklet you have more questions about how to proceed, feel free to call us at our toll-free number, 1-800-922-FROG (3764).

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by lizbud
Would everyone who said they dissected a cat/dog while in
High School, please tell me 3 things you learned from doing it?

Just three lessons you learned about cats or dogs physiology.

The way muscles are bundled/muscle fibers and how they "slide", ligaments and atachment points,
the difference between smooth and striated muscles, joints, adductor and abductor muscles....

The class helps if you are headed into the field of medicine.....

[Corinna]

I agree its a use for animals who can help us learn to help others. I personaly had truble in class doing the cutting, wish I had done more it would have prepared me for my time as a vet tech.
I stayed to more insects and such. Slugs were very intresting there were no info so I had to write it up and the local library but it in there science section.

[cutie_chica]

I dont know about your school but when I was in school, I just went to the Principal and said I didnt want to do it, I thought it was mean. And I had to write a paper instead... Good luck!

[wolfsoul]

I think that, unless you are becoming a vet/vet tech, that dissecting isn't nessecary. Why can't a normal high school student just look at the pictures in a text book?

This year we have to dissect rats. How can I disect my babies?

We also have to do a starfish, grasshopper, and a couple other things I don't remember.

We've already dissected a cow eyeballs and fish.

[Twisterdog]

When I was in high school Biology I, we had to dissect frogs that arrived in big vats of formaldehyde. It was not pleasant, but it was kind of like cutting up a rubber toy. Nothing about those frogs was remotely lifelike. I did it, because this was in the 80's, and I had no clue that you could opt out of things like that. Everyone bucked up and did it. It wasn't that bad, really.

Now, when I took advanced Biology II in high school, we had to dissect live frogs. We pithed them, and cut them up. It was HORRIBLE. I am still tormented by that, twenty years later. If I thought by any remote chance that I could have gotten out of it, I would have tried. Some people cried, some people threw up. Didn't matter, everyone had to do it.

I learned NOTHING from the experience, because it upset me and grossed me out completely. I was too tortured to learn. It did me absolutely no good to kill that frog. However, I was an accounting major in college, not pre-vet. There IS value to dissection, for pre-vet or pre-med students. Just not your average high school kid.

As for dissecting a cat or dog that has already been euthanized .... frankly, I have far less of a problem with that than killing a frog or a rat or even an earthworm simply for the purpose of having high school kids dissect it. The cat or dog was killed due to over-population, over-breeding and throw-away attitude. If it's body is dissected afterwards, there is no more harm done. Dead is dead.

Let's not miss the forest for the trees here - the cat is dead because someone didn't spay or neuter their pet, let them run loose, wanted their kids to see the "miracle of birth", wanted a kitten from the litter, got tired of their old cat and took it to animal control, etc. etc. etc. The cat is not dead because of a high school biology class.

[tikeyas_mom]

i dont really know what to say. we dont do that at my school, we disect pig fetus's, not cats.